Etymograph

English

amatory

Amatory comes from Latin amātōrius ‘pertaining to love or a lover’, from Proto-Italic *amāō ‘to get hold of’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃emh₃-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃emh₃-1‘to take hold of’uncertain
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*amāō1‘to get hold of’uncertain
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEamō2‘to love’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEamātor2‘a lover’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEamātōrius2‘pertaining to love or a lover’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1819amatory2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin amo
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English amatory
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1819, Lord Byron, Don Juan: “Eggs, oysters, too, are amatory food; / But who…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃emh₃-Wiktionary, Latin amo‘to take hold of’uncertain
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*amāōWiktionary, Latin amo‘to get hold of’uncertain
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEamōWiktionary, English amatory‘to love’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEamātorWiktionary, English amatory‘a lover’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEamātōriusWiktionary, English amatory‘pertaining to love or a lover’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1819amatoryWiktionary, English amatory. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1819, Lord Byron, Don Juan: “Eggs, oysters, too, are amatory food; / But who…”

Linked words

through Latin amō ‘to love’

enemy, enmity, amour, amicable, amity, amenity, inimical, 19 more

through Latin amātor ‘a lover’

amateur

Today it means

adj Of or relating to love, especially sexual love.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “amatory”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin amo. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₃emh₃- / amatory

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